A French policewoman in her 40s was killed on the street in a Savoy village on Thursday and her former companion is currently on the run, AFP has learned from sources close to the investigation.
The events took place on a public street on Thursday morning when the victim dropped off a child at the daycare center in the village of La Croix-de-la-Rochette, near Chambéry, while not on duty. The Chambéry public prosecutor came to the scene. He declined to immediately comment when contacted by AFP.
The suspected man, born in 1962, with whom she had two children, killed her “with a blunt object,” according to a source close to the case. The man, who was already known for acts of violence, fled and is currently being sought.
“Great sadness at the announcement of a femicide in which an off-duty police officer was killed on a public street in Savoy. Thoughts for his family, his loved ones and his colleagues,” responded French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on X (formerly Twitter).
“We are very shocked,” Fabrice Galatioto, national secretary of the southeast zone of the Unité SGP-Police union, told AFP. “She herself has dealt with complaints and files on her behalf, including domestic violence. “She has helped defend society and in the end she becomes a victim,” he lamented.
The suspect had a history of “violence against people, harassment and threats,” he noted. “We police officers are asked to respond as much as possible to these types of acts, and what is the result in the end?” he noted, recalling that the fight against violence against women had nevertheless been declared a “priority”. five-year term of President Emmanuel Macron.
The number of femicides in France increased by 20% in 2021 compared to the previous year. According to the latest Home Office figures, 122 women have been killed at the hands of their spouse or ex-spouse.